A Dangerous Liaison
by LinYulan
Summary: Intrigued by a chance encounter with a young S.H.E.I.L.D. Agent, Loki intended to have some fun before discarding her like a broken toy. Instead he comes up against a fighter with a mean right hook and a secret in her past. Will the god of lies see through her deception, and will she be able to resist the charms of Loki Silvertongue?
1. Chapter 1

Loki strode along the corridor to the gallery of the foyer of Königstrasse 22, hearing the distant strains of Schubert's string quartet. He looked the figure of propriety and belonging in his suit, coat and tie, with a silk scarf draped around his neck. At the end of the corridor, observing the crowd from the safety of the back wall was a woman. She had her back to him but he could tell from the way she stood that she was not merely watching the crowd with the interest of a fellow party goer. She was observing, either as private security or Police. She heard his footsteps behind her, and turned with a smooth smile on her face. At this stage, he guessed, he could just be a guest who had wandered away from the party.

"Guten abend" she said, her accent good but not flawless.

"Good Evening" he replied, sending a tendril of magic out to calm her.

"You're English," she said in surprised recognition, revealing her own country of origin.

"Well, near enough" he replied, giving her his most charming smile. Time was passing, and he needed her out of his way.

She looked away from him for one moment, and he seized his chance, quickly pulling her into the relative darkness of the corridor, wrapping one arm around her arms and waist and putting his hand over her mouth. She struggled uselessly for a moment, trying first to stamp on his insteps then to knee him in the groin, then attempting to free her hands. "Stop that" he commanded, working some magic into the tone of his voice. She did not stop, but continued to struggle, attempting to bite the hand clamped over her mouth. Clearly she had a strong will. Any other time he would have admired that in a pathetic Midgardian, but now it was wasting his time.

"Stop that or I will break your neck" he whispered in her ear, and she ceased her struggles.

_Pathetic_ he thought, _how easily these mortals give up_.

Suddenly she bit his hand and brought her elbow crashing back into his solar plexus. Winded he let her go and she dived away from him, pulling up the skirt of her elegant evening dress.

_A gun strapped to her thigh_ he thought,_ how delightful._

Before she even had a chance to draw the gun he brought his fist crashing into the side of her head. Crude yet effective.

Grabbing her as she sagged downward he once again clamped a hand down over her mouth and pressed his body to hers, just in case she was planning to make another bid for freedom. He then reached down to remove the gun – he wasn't planning to leave her able to use it, but it was best to take precautions. As he felt for the gun between her thighs he noticed that her pupils had dilated.

_How interesting_.

Of course it could just be the excitement of the fight, but one never knew… Testing his theory, he pressed himself even closer, and as he removed the gun from its holster he moved it up to the juncture of her legs before sliding it out from under her skirt. As he pressed between her legs he felt her gasp of breath hot against his hand.

Loki loved to exert any sort of control over another.

_If only I had more time_,

But maybe there would be another opportunity. Right now he had business to attend to.

"My apologies, my dear" he whispered into her ear, "I am afraid I must leave you."

He tucked her gun into his coat pocket, noting with interest that it was S.H.E.I.L.D. standard issue, then pressed his fingers to her carotid artery until her eyes rolled up into her head and she slid down the wall, unconscious.

Loki strolled nonchalantly out from the corridor, magically summoning his staff into his hand.

Showtime.


	2. Chapter 2

In the lockdown room Natasha Romanov turned her back on Loki, shaking.

"You monster" she said, her voice full of emotion

'No," he replied, evenly. "You brought the monster."

Romanov turned abruptly, understanding suddenly dawning on her face.

"So, Banner, that's your play."

"What?" Loki looked up, mentally cursing himself for his lapse in concentration.

She turned away from Loki, her hand to her ear using the comlink.

"Loki means to unleash the Hulk, keep Banner in the lab." Before she left the room she turned. "Thank you, for your cooperation"

She spoke to the Agent outside the door. Loki looked after her.

"Watch him, don't let anyone in that you don't know"

"Yes Ma'am"

It was the girl from Stuttgart.

She took her place opposite the door to the cell, standing with the easy stance of one who was used to standing still for long periods of time. A waiter, a watcher. She wore one of the variations of the S.H.E.I.L.D. Agent uniform, regrettably not the cat suit, still, it did give his imagination room to run free.

He stood, watching her. She did not look at him, though she was carefully surveying all rest of the room, moving her eyes over it. He watched them flick from place to place, like the sweep of a CCTV camera.

He could see the bruise that his fist had made on her cheekbone, a flush of purple against her pale skin.

"How good it is to see you again."

She ignored him.

"I am sorry for what I did to you in Stuttgart but I am afraid I had a tight schedule to keep to."

Her face was impassive. She continued her surveillance of the room.

"You know, I feel that we may have got off on the wrong foot. You see, I am not able to express myself very well from behind a wall of glass."

She sighed.

"What is your name?"

She closed her eyes briefly, as it trying to gather some patience. Loki smiled. Clearly he was beginning to get to her.

"What are you thinking?" he asked.

"That you are rather unimpressive" she answered, for the first time looking at him properly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, moving closer to the clear wall of his prison.

"I have heard a lot about you, Loki, the trickster, god of lies. I would have expected more. You are like a whining child." her voice was cold, unemotional, as if she had made a careful study of him and was now presenting a report on her findings.

"I am a god, a king" he hissed "I should be ruling over the whole of your worthless planet."

"And yet there you are, on the wrong side of the glass." She answered evenly.

"Do you think it wise to taunt me, mortal. I will not be here for long, and all your kind break so easily."

"A threat, Loki? Unwise. Right now I can drop you 30,000 feet straight down."

"But you won't." He smiled a little, mischievous smile.

"Indeed not, Director Fury wouldn't like it."

"Oh, that's not why," the smile still playing about his lips. "You won't drop me now for the same reason you didn't shoot me in Germany."

"I didn't shoot you in Germany because I couldn't reach my gun in time."

"You may tell yourself that if you wish to believe it."

"It is the truth."

At that moment there was a huge explosion and the whole ship rocked. They both stumbled and the agent fell to the floor. Picking herself up quickly she looked into the cell, and saw that it was empty. _Oh shit _she thought. Picking up her radio she keyed in the number for the director.

"Director Fury, Agent Scott reporting, Loki has disappeared from his cell"

"What the hell happened Agent?"

"I don't know sir, I looked away for one moment and he was gone"

"I'll send a team down there. Do not open the cell"

"Yes sir."

Clicking off her radio she looked again into the cell.

"You're still in there aren't you" she said. "You thought I'd panic and open the door to look for you."

Congratulating herself for avoiding this pitfall, and glad that her S.H.E.I.L.D. training had held good, she smiled. Suddenly she heard a faint _zip_ noise and something thudded into her shoulder. She stared in disbelief at the arrow protruding from her as the door to the cell opened and Loki shimmered back into view. Her knees gave way and left her kneeling as Loki advanced on her.

"You thought you were very clever" he said, looking down "But sadly you were a few steps behind. All I needed was for you to stop your incessant watching."

She tried to reach for her radio, tried to reach for her gun, but her arms felt like lead. Her vision was starting to swim, blurring at the edges. For the second time in as many days she fell to the floor as Loki swept past her.

"Barton, bring her"


	3. Chapter 3

When Agent Scott awoke she found herself lying on a mattress in a small concrete room.

She felt groggy and her shoulder ached, but as she examined it she saw that someone had cleaned and dressed the wound made by the dart.

Sitting up she took stock of her surroundings: There was a small barred window set high in one wall. Even if she were able to remove the bars she doubted whether she would fit through the window. So, no escape there. The door looked solid and had no lock on the inside. It was probably controlled by keypad. She sighed in frustration. It seemed that she would have to wait until someone opened the door before she could make her escape.

Beside the mattress was a jug of water. Although she was thirsty, she didn't want to drink from it. Instead she poured out a little onto her hands and washed away the dirt, then washed her face and the back of her neck.

This helped the ache in her head, and she began to feel more awake.

Sitting cross legged on the mattress she closed her eyes and tried to focus. She was listening intently to see if she could hear anything going on in the corridor outside her cell. Occasionally she heard footsteps passing up and down the corridor but it was mostly silent.

She thought back to the events of, was it the day before? She had no idea how long she had been unconscious. She remembered Loki strolling out of his cell, as if he had always planned things to go that was, remembered his command to Agent Barton _Bring her._ But what did he want with her? Perhaps he planned to exact painful revenge on her for her insolence, but abduction seemed like a lot of effort to go through just to punish her. Maybe he was thinking back to Stuttgart. She shivered uncomfortably as she remembered him pressing up against her.

After what must have been about half an hour she heard four, no five pairs of feet approaching her door and stop.

This was her chance, moving swiftly from the mattress to behind the door, she grasped the metal water jug in her hand, poised and ready for action. The door swung open, but no one entered the cell.

"Agent Scott" it was the voice of the Clint Barton, the S.H.E.I.L.D. agent who had fallen under Loki's mind control. "Come out with your hands on your head."

_Of course_ she thought, Agent Barton would know exactly what the average agent would do if they found themselves in a situation like this.

Resigned to capture, just for then, she put her hands on her head and walked out of the door, holding her head high.

"Hands behind your back" Agent Barton said, cuffing her, then gesturing to his right "This way."

Though she was irritated that her first escape attempt had been prevented before it had even happened, she was somewhat flattered that Loki had sent Hawkeye and four armed guards as an escort. Clearly he thought she was dangerous enough to warrant it. Or maybe he was hoping to make her feel small by show of force. _Well,_ she told herself, _that isn't going to work._

As they walked through a maze of corridors, she was mapping the building inside her head. Then they arrived in front of a lift. The doors opened.

"In you go" said Agent Barton, pushing her forward

"Not coming with me?" she asked, trying to project some bravery into her voice.

He made no reply, but leant forward, swiping a card on a reader on the outside of the doors. To her horror, she saw as the doors closed that there were no buttons on the inside.

**Author's Note.**

**A thousand thanks to the people who have favourited this story or started following it. I honestly didn't think that anyone would even notice it when I uploaded and it's very exciting to know that someone thinks it is worth reading.**

**I realise you're all probably quite busy, but if you fancied dropping a review my way it would be very much appreciated. Any constructive criticism as to content/writing style will be mulled over :)**

**Lin x**


	4. Chapter 4

...

The lift seemed to be carrying her upwards. As soon as the doors had closed, Agent Scott had attempted to escape through the ceiling of the lift. However, with her hands behind her back this had proved to be a bit of a challenge. Finally the lift stopped and the doors slid smoothly open to reveal a large room with floor to ceiling windows, showcasing panoramic views of mountain scenery. She considered simply remaining in the lift but doubted that it would automatically take her back down to the lower levels of the hideout.

All hope of this plan drained away as Loki appeared in front of the doors smiling, and held out his hand in what from anyone else would have been a gesture of welcome.

"Please, do come in"

She took a deep breath and walked forward.

He watched her with interest. Her body language showed fear, and readiness to run or fight, but underneath there were other signs. She held her back very straight, and kept her shoulders back; a sign of good breeding, he thought. There was certainly none of the cowering that he usually associated with mortals when they were afraid.

"Do allow me to take those off" he moved behind her to remove the handcuffs, standing a little closer than was necessary. She was taking deep breaths, whether to calm herself or prepare for a fight he wasn't sure. In front of one of the windows was a table set for two. As she stood beside it he moved to stand beside her. He could see that almost every muscle in her body was tensed, ready to fight him. He smiled to himself, as if she thinks that she could overpower me.

"Why did you bring me here" her voice was steady

"Because I wished to."

"What do you want with me."

He considered for a moment

"I have not yet decided. But now, eat with me."

She hesitated, looking uneasy. Loki was delighted. He wanted her to feel uncertain, not knowing what he would do next.

"Please sit, Miss Scott" he said, pulling out a chair for her. A flicker of distaste crossed her face but she sat as he pushed it in under her. _Perfectly timed_, he thought, _she has done this before_.

He moved round to take his place, sat and drew his napkin out of the napkin ring to place on his knees. He looked like the perfect gentleman, but the knowledge of his ability for cruelty and violence made Agent Scott's blood run cold.

"So, Miss Scott" he began, before noticing the annoyance on her face again. It was his addressing her as 'Miss' that was doing it. He wondered why she should dislike this form of address but his musings were interrupted.

"It's Agent, Agent Scott."

He laughed, and gestured for servers to bring the first course.

The meal was exquisite; Scallops, Mushroom risotto, Chocolate fondant and cheeses. One of the great benefits of Midgard was the cuisine, Asgard was much too heavy on meat and mead for his tastes. Almost as soon as he had established his base he had bought in the services of a Michelin starred chef to cook for him.

They ate in almost complete silence. She had perfect table manners, he noted. All his attempts to draw her into some sort of conversation were met with stony silence. He found her defiance rather amusing.

"Do you always ignore your host when at dinner?" he asked.

"Always, when he has brought me there against my will" she replied, finally.

"But is not this nice? Dinner, and company. Or would you rather go back to your cell?"

Scott sighed.

"I can't hear you" said Loki, looking straight at her "Shall I call the lift?"

"No" she said grudgingly "Do not call the lift"

"So you do appreciate my company"

"I have often found that company in and of itself is not necessarily to be desired."

"So you know all about _desire_ then, Miss Scott."

She blushed and looked away, almost like a schoolgirl. Clearly S.H.E.I.L.D. agents were not all like that wildcat Romanov.

He rose from his chair and she watched him apprehensively.

"You see," he said as he walked past her towards the floor to ceiling windows "Desire is what makes the whole world run, desire for money, for power..." he paused, "for _intimacy._"

He watched as she shifted in her chair.

"I know what your desires are, you and all your world. You wish to be dominated, you need to be ruled, you crave it."

She had ceased to look uncomfortable. Now she was looking at him like he was ridiculous.

"So your desire would be for power, then?" she said, phrasing a question she already knew the answer to.

"It is not merely my desire," he replied, folding his arms across his chest. "It is my right."

"Not here it isn't." she fired back, rising from her chair.

"You still don't understand.," he said, turning away again to gaze out across the mountain scenery. "I am so far above you. I was born to rule. This little world of yours should not be in the hands of such pathetic rulers, where even the best fail."

"It's not your world to rule." she said, as if that made an end of it.

"It soon will be," he said, looking back at her. "And Miss Scott" he added casually. "Put the knife back on the table"

Scott's heart sank within her. Though she knew that the chances of her being able to smuggle a weapon out of the room and escape with it were small, she had hoped to get further than this. She clutched the knife, which had been concealed up her sleeve, in her hand, and shook her head.

Loki smiled at her, indulgently.

"Don't be foolish, girl. You really haven't a hope."

He advanced towards her, and though he was taller and stronger than her she stood her ground. He was very close to her, invading her personal space.

"Give it to me." He ordered her.

"No."

"Why do you persist in this folly?" he asked, in the manner of a kind mentor trying to dissuade a pupil. "This will only end badly for you."

She moved so quickly even he was surprised. The knife cut through his jacket and into his left arm. But before she could run, he caught her in a grip of iron, a snarl of anger on his face.

"You would dare attack me, mortal!" he raged as she struggled desperately in his grip. He prised the knife from her fingers and very deliberately brought it to her arm as she tried to squirm away.

She screamed as he sliced it into the flesh in the same place as she had injured him.

"Look at me" he said "Look at me!" she looked up into his cold eyes and saw no pity. "I am much greater and much stronger than you. Every attack you make will be avenged upon you. Resist me no longer, it will only result in your destruction."

He released and stepped away from her, interested to see that she neither fell to the floor nor cried, though the cut was beginning to bleed, blood soaking the sleeve of her uniform.

"I think it is time you returned to your room, Miss Scott, and learned some manners."

The lift doors opened. She stepped in.

The lift doors closed, and she sagged against the wall, clutching her arm, trying to staunch the bleeding by pressing her palm to the wound.

Agent Barton was waiting at the doors to the lift to escort her back to her cell. He showed no emotion at the sight of her bleeding arm or the tears in her eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

That night she tried to bandage her wound by tearing the sleeve off her shirt. It was a poor effort but it would have to do. For the first time since her capture she cried. She didn't really know why she was crying; she had suffered more serious injuries before without making such a fuss. Still, it felt good to let her emotions flow. She would need to be able to rein them in again the next time she saw Loki.

The next day came and Loki did not send for her again. Food was placed in her cell through a slot in the bottom of the door. On the first day her wound began to look red and inflamed. On the second day it began to weep pus. On the third day she felt dizzy and feverish, her heartbeat rapid. On the fourth she was delirious.

As she lay on her mattress, she dreamed of Loki. He was holding her in his arms, smiling, and then suddenly his face changed and his hands on her arms tuned to claws and sliced into her skin. She ripped herself away and tried to run from him but her feet felt like they were sticking to the floor. Her limbs felt heavy and she couldn't move properly. She could hear Loki's cold laugh echoing in her ears. All the while she knew that she had forgotten something important, something she needed to do or say. She tripped and fell sprawling on the ground, and felt as if she was sinking into oblivion.

Vaguely she realised that someone had opened the door to her cell. She tried to resist as someone untied her pitiful bandage and examined the wound. She tried to lift her head but couldn't. The person lifted her with ease and took her away.

...

When she next regained consciousness she was in a white room, clearly medical. A nurse sitting in the corner of the room arose and came over to check her temperature and her pulse, then left.

Agent Scott turned her head to check her arm. A snowy white bandage covered her wound. The dressing on her shoulder had gone, and only a faint mark remained from where the dart had struck. There was a drip in her hand. She was wearing a sleeveless white hospital gown. She looked around but couldn't see her S.H.E.I.L.D. uniform anywhere.

She would have to find new clothes from somewhere – no one ever made a good escape from a bad guy's secret hideout wearing only a hospital gown. As she tried to sit up a wave of nausea swept over her and she lay back down again, groaning, and closed her eyes. No harm in waiting for a moment though she thought.

She heard footsteps approaching, heavier than the nurse's had been – probably a doctor or an orderly. The footsteps entered the room but the person didn't say anything. Agent Scott didn't open her eyes.

"Water?" she managed to croak out, her voice sounding cracked.

"Why certainly, Miss Scott."

Her eyes flew open, there was Loki. She tried to sit up, to make herself look less helpless in front of him but suddenly felt light-headed.

"Oh I wouldn't try to sit up if I were you" he said smoothly, moving to a table and pouring water from a jug into a glass. "You haven't been very well"

Agent Scott tried to roll her eyes at this, but it hurt too much.

"Go away"

He laughed softly as he sat down on the bed and scooped one arm under her shoulders, lifting her up so that she could drink from the glass. She was too weak to struggle and half lay against his shoulder, trying to fight the faintness that she could feel coming on.

"Small sips."

"Leave me alone."

He pressed the rim of the glass gently against her lips and she finally consented to take the small sips.

When she had drunk half of the glass he moved it away from her, but did not lay her back down.

"Why are you here?" she asked, her voice stronger now.

"No specific reason" he replied, and then after a slight pause added "and I have nowhere else to be."

"Well be somewhere else." Her tone was hostile, though she knew that there was nothing she could do to make him leave.

He laughed softly then wrapped his other arm round her, holding her close. Scott felt incredibly uncomfortable. This was not the sort of behaviour she expected from a megalomanic psychopath war criminal. However, she was much too weak to resist, and if she closed her eyes, she could imagine she was being held by someone else. Someone who cared for her, and had not kidnapped and injured her.

He leant his head on the top of her head breathing in the scent of her hair. She could feel his warm breath on her scalp. She did not know at what point she fell asleep, but when she did her dreams were peaceful.

...

**Author's Note: **

**Dear readers (I know that you exist, which makes me ridiculously happy)**

**Thank you for getting this far. I hope you're enjoying it; I know I'm having a great time writing it...**

**I'm trying desperately hard not to beg for reviews, but I do really want to know, w****hat do you think of the story so far? **

**Lin**


	6. Chapter 6

As she awoke the next day Agent Scott shivered. Although Loki said things which sounded kind and caring on the surface, she trusted his apparent sincerity about as far as she could throw him in her current condition. None too far in other words. Nevertheless she was feeling significantly better than she had done the day before. She stretched her injured arm out cautiously, it hurt but at least she could use it.

Now was her chance for escape. She manoeuvred herself out of bed and stuffed a pillow under the covers, shaping it to look like a body. She peered through the blinds to make sure there was nobody outside the room before opening the door, slipping out and closing it quietly behind her.

All the corridors looked the same but she headed quickly down the nearest one, checking each door as she passed. _Radiology_. I_mmunology. Stores. Dr. A Cragg._ Finally, _Linen._ Inside there were sheets, blankets and uniforms. Scott picked one she had seen the nurses wearing, a light blue cotton scrubs. Getting out of her hospital gown was easy, though she was disconcerted that her underwear was gone. Getting into the nurse outfit was more difficult. It still hurt to raise her injured arm, and she was worried that the bandage on her arm would show beneath the sleeves of the scrubs. Then she found a box of long sleeved t-shirts. These would be perfect. She gritted her teeth through the pain as she put on the t shirt and top.

She still didn't have any shoes. This could be a problem. There was no way she would get far without any shoes, and people would definitely notice.

She walked out of the linen cupboard and into the corridors again, checking the doors. This time she walked confidently, hoping that if she did meet anyone, her demeanour would not rouse their suspicions._ Nurses Room._ Success!

Inside were couches and lockers. She began to check the lockers for shoes, and eventually found some that were the right size. She even found a mirror and some hairpins, and tried to tame her hair into a semblance of sanity; it would not do for her to wander the corridors looking like a mad woman.

Now, where to go? She didn't even know what floor she was on. Where was the lift? How would she escape from This place? She didn't even know where it was. There had to be hundreds of mountainous regions in the world and who knows where Loki would have chosen to build his secret hideout.

Scott knew that she was over-thinking things. She could worry about location and how to get back to S.H.E.I.L.D. once she had actually escaped. She probably didn't have much time before her escape was discovered. She needed to find an exit, and fast.

A soldier passed in the corridor, going for the confident look she nodded to him and to her horror saw a look of recognition in his eyes. Before he had time to react she swung her arm up and brought the heel of her hand smashing into his nose. Internally she winced as she felt the bone crunch under the blow, but there was no time for squeamishness. Scott clapped her hands to the side of his head and he staggered and reeled. She sprinted away. Hopefully the combination of a broken nose and burst eardrums would slow him down.

As she ran she tried to remember they layout of the building she had memorised from her cell to the lift. Maybe it would be similar even on different levels. As she took a left turn, then another, she suddenly heard the sound of a siren, and lights began to flash. _Not good. _

That must have been the work of the soldier she had decked, or maybe of someone who had found him. She could hear the sound of running footsteps behind her and she sped up, racing to get to the lift before anyone found her. She made a right turn and there it was, the elevator! She sprinted the last twenty-five metres, and reached for the button, hoping she didn't need a card to call it.

Just as she reached it the lift door opened and her heart sank. There was Agent Barton, an arrow on the string of his bow. She leant forward, panting, her hands on her knees as a wave of faintness and nausea washed over her. She had failed.


	7. Chapter 7

"What is your name?"

"You know my name."

"Agent Scott is not a name."

"It was mine last time I checked."

"You begin to bore me"

"Then amuse yourself elsewhere."

Loki sighed. The conversation had been going round in circles like this for hours and he was beginning to tire of it. Of course he could torture her name out of her, but he considered that to be a crude means of extracting information. The long game of persuasion was always so much more, _pleasurable._

After her escape attempt he had ordered Barton to put Agent Scott in one of the interrogation rooms. They were sitting either side of a table in the brightly lit room. He could see that she was exhausted, and had still not healed properly from her wounds. It had been foolish of her to attempt escape while she was still so weak.

Right now she was still not giving anything away, but Loki knew that she was tired and thought that it could not be long before she broke down.

"What is your name" he asked again.

"If you want to know that badly you could always get someone to hack the S.H.E.I.L.D. database for you," she said, laying her head on her arms on the table.

"But why would we need to do that, when I know so much about you already?"

She looked up at him, tired and confused, then he saw the look in her eyes that dismissed him as a mere trickster.

"You," she said, contemptuously "You know nothing."

"Au contraire my dear. You see, you were so _interesting_" he rolled the word around his mouth as if savouring its flavour "while you were semi-conscious. I have learned so much about you."

"I don't believe you," she said.

He wasn't going to torture her, but he didn't see why he couldn't scare her a little. Or perhaps a lot. Moving suddenly he tipped the table over sideways. Startled by the sudden change and the crash as the table fell to the floor Agent Scott screamed and shrank back. The sudden violence of his movements and the removal of the barrier between them alarmed her.

Grabbing her by her forearms Loki pulled her up roughly.

"Do you really think that you are such an enigma? I can see your past in everything you do. I may not know it all yet, but I will. And when I do I will use it all, every little childhood fear, every traumatic moment, and I will break you."

She was really afraid now; afraid of him and afraid of his threats. He could almost feel her fear seething under the surface of her skin. His hands were cruelly tight on her arms, making sure she couldn't pull away.

"You think you are strong, but you are weak. You think you are wise, but you are so foolish. I can see inside your soul, and you disgust me. Do you really think that it would be anything to me to snuff out your pathetic little life. You are nothing to me! Nothing!

He was so close to her, his face was set in a snarl. She couldn't bear the intensity in his eyes. Screwing up her eyes shut she tried to turn her head away but she couldn't stop herself from hearing his words. Tears squeezed out from under her eyelids as she tried to hold herself together.

Suddenly Loki let go of her arms and Agent Scott's knees buckled.

He strode toward the door. As it opened he turned back to her, now huddled on the floor.

"Do get well soon. I cannot wait to spend more time with you."


	8. Chapter 8

For days Agent Scott sat in her cell, and Loki did not summon her. She saw no one, not even the person who shoved food through the flap in the door of her cell three times a day. On the first day she cried; out of fear of Loki, and frustration at her own helplessness. On the second day she pulled herself together and began to exercise, running on the spot and stretching. It would not do for her to be unfit for escape when the time came. She did not know what she would do the next time she saw Loki.

...

Loki paced his control room. All was not going to plan with the tesseract. Even with the iridium Selvig was still unable to stabilise a portal for the length of time that would be needed to bring through his army. And the Chitauri were growing impatient, very impatient. His allies were not ones to understand or accept difficulty or failure.

In addition to this, he still did not know the identity of the S.H.E.I.L.D. agent. Certainly he knew things _about_ her, but it wasn't the same. His threats had not worked on her, at least not obviously. After a relatively short time of weeping she had been up and about in her cell, doing fitness routines and clearly trying to think up more ways to escape. It almost seemed like she was trying to show him that she was not going to give in. Of course she couldn't know that there was a camera in her cell, it was very well concealed. Still, she was very perceptive. Perhaps she had guessed.

He needed a new approach.

Suddenly inspiration struck him.

...

Agent Scott awoke suddenly as the door to her cell opened. One of Loki's nameless lackey guards was there in the doorway.

"Ma'am," he said. "You're to come with me."

"Where am I going?" she asked, backing away against the wall.

"To shower," he answered shortly.

She followed him without any further ado. She was longing for a shower.

They arrived at the door to a washroom with toilet cubicles and a row of basins. At the end of the room was another door.

"That's the shower Ma'am," said the lackey, pointing. "You may lock yourself in, but if you will not come out after your shower is finished it will not be difficult for me to remove the bolt."

"Sounds fair enough," she said.

Agent Scott entered the cubicle and locked the door behind her. It somehow felt good to have control over whether the door was locked or not. She carefully checked the shower cubicle for cameras or bugs, and was eventually satisfied. She turned on the water and undressed while she waited for it to warm up. When the jet of water was steaming hot she stepped in. It felt like heaven. For a week and a half she had been washing in cold water from her water jug; this was an entirely different experience. On a ledge inside the cubicle was soap and shampoo. As Agent Scott lathered her hair and scrubbed her body she began to feel more human. She stayed in for as long as she thought she could get away with, then switched off the water.

Hanging on a rail were two towels. She wrapped one round her head and dried herself off with the other one. It felt counterproductive to put on her hospital scrubs again; though they were comfortable she had been wearing them day and night for the last week. Still, they were her only clothes - she did not know what had become of her S.H.E.I.L.D. uniform.

She unlocked the cubicle door and the guard wordlessly escorted her back to her cell.

Inside, on the mattress, was a box.

She reached forward cautiously, thinking that although it didn't seem like Loki's style, the box might be rigged to blow her arms off when she opened it. She flipped the flap open. No explosion. So far so good, she supposed.

Inside the box were clothes, and on top of them a note in an elegant sloping hand.

_Dine with me tonight. Wear these._

In one sense she was relieved to have a change of clothes, though she didn't like to be ordered to wear anything by anyone, let alone Loki.

She put the note to one side and investigated the contents of the box further.

Skintight black trousers, a black top. Both the right size.

Black shoes. Also the right size.

Green and black lace underwear. Oh.

Agent Scott didn't know what she thought about this. If she wore the underwear, Loki would know, by association, what she looked like in her underwear. If she didn't wear it, Loki would probably find out, and know that she wasn't wearing any underwear. It was a lose/lose situation.

Her inner self baulked at the idea of being given clothes as if she were a child or a slave, but in the end pragmatism won out over ideology. She put on the clothes, including the underwear. It fitted perfectly. _Damn him, _she thought.

There was no mirror in the cell, so she had to do the best she could with her hair without looking, attempting to comb it into place with her fingers as it dried.

She didn't know why she cared what she looked like in front of him. Perhaps it was that she wanted to show that he had not beaten her into submission, and that she was going to keep fighting.

Agent Scott checked her watch, it was nearly seven.

After a few minutes she heard footsteps and the door opened. This time they did not handcuff her. She trod the familiar path to the lift and stepped inside. Once again the doors closed.


	9. Chapter 9

Agent Scott stepped out of the lift, steeling herself to confront Loki, to demand that he let her go, or something.

Loki was not there. She advanced into the room slowly, making sure he wasn't lurking behind anything. He definitely wasn't there.

She took advantage of his absence to look out of the windows. She still had no idea where his hideout was located. She supposed it could be somewhere in the Rockies, or maybe the Alps, but the mountains looked too snowy for that somehow. The sun was beginning to set and the low rays of light stained the snow and sky red as blood. It was beautiful, a picture of natural serenity. For a moment she forgot everything, only for a moment though.

"Anna!"

Agent Scott whipped round and then mentally cursed herself. Loki was striding across the room, looking just like the cat who got the cream, holding a sheaf of papers in his hand.

"That is you isn't it, Anna."

"Go to hell."

"Manners, Anna Scott, or should I say the honourable Anastasia Rosalie Blythe-Scott, daughter of the late Major General Sir Alexander Blythe-Scott and Lady Camilla Blythe-Scott, born Camilla Annesley. And yet…" he paused, watching for her reaction. "Not really their daughter, were you? In fact you were the bastard child of your mother's sister."

"Where did you get that?" she said in shock, gesturing to the file in his hands.

"Oh this? I had someone pull it off the S.H.E.I.L.D. database as you suggested. But enough about that, back to your life I think" He saw her wince as he leafed through the pages of her file.

"Raised in the lap of luxury, private tutors, boarding school, Head Girl, considered to have excellent leadership qualities, though of course much of that was assumed because of your so-called Father's profession."

"He was my father!"

Loki ignored her, carried on reading.

"University, languages degree, then…" he gave a look of mock horror "Sudden tragedy as your parents die in a motoring accident, dear me, what a pity."

She looked at him with loathing in his eyes. _Good_ he thought _I want her angry. Angry doesn't think properly, angry just does things_.

"You disappear off the map for a year, then suddenly turn up as a S.H.E.I.L.D. Agent. What a surprise! I am sure that was not the career path anyone would have expected of you. You were much more likely to have become a society wife" he sneered.

It was at that point that Anna tried to hit him. Loki parried the blow easily but let her carry on. She was admittedly very good at hand to hand combat. If he hadn't been fighting people for almost 1,000 years he would have been concerned. As it was, he saw all her movements almost before they happened, in minute indicators of actions to come.

When she began to slow down he caught her by the shoulders and looked into her face.

"You see, Anna, we are so much alike. Both of us part of families we never really belonged to, both trained in the manners of the rulers of a nation, only to be denied it. You are like me. Your soul calls to me."

She looked into his eyes, and surprised, saw longing in their green depths.

"I am nothing like you," she answered.

He laughed.

"You are my dear, and soon you will come to realise it, and stop fighting me."

He stood behind her, and leant down to whisper into her ear

"You need me"

She shivered as his lips brushed against the side of her neck.

"I do not need you"

"You need me, and you will want me, and you will want me so badly that you scream and beg for me."

Anna turned to look steadily into his eyes

"I will never beg."

There was a brief pause, and then his whole demeanour changed.

"Your hands are bleeding. let me help you."

Slightly alarmed by the rapid change, she let him lead her over to a seat, and clean and bandage her grazed knuckles. She watched his long, deft fingers working. _He should have been a doctor _she thought.

"Now," he said, as he neatly tied the ends of the last bandage "Is that not better?"

She nodded silently.

"Are you hungry," he asked.

She nodded again and stood to move to the table. As before he stood behind her, pushing her seat in as she sat.

"Anna," he said. "You look very nice tonight."

"Thank you." she said stiffly.

They ate in silence. At the end of the evening, before she stepped back into the lift, he took her hand in his and kissed her bandaged knuckles.

Somewhere, way down deep inside her, she felt the tiniest hint of something stirring.

...

**Author's note.**

**A name, finally, I hear you say!**

**Once again, so many thank yous for your reviews, followings and favourites. I can't tell you how exciting it is that people are _actually reading this. _**

**Lin**


	10. Chapter 10

"So. How is it that the honourable Anastasia Blythe-Scott becomes plain Anna Scott? There must be some story behind that, and not just the death of your parents. You loved them, that would make you want to stay with what everything was like before. There is something else, something not on your file."

Anna rolled her eyes. This was the third night they had had dinner together since he found out her identity, and every evening he would try to gain more information about her life. She was remarkably unforthcoming.

"S.H.E.I.L.D. must have known that something had happened in your life. How did you get away with not telling them? How did they recruit you? Did you apply?"

Anna continued to eat her lemon tart. It was very good and if she concentrated on it very hard she could almost block out Loki's unceasing questions. She did not know what to make of him. She had seen footage of him coldly gouging out a man's eye, and felt him slice a knife into her arm, and heard him threaten her life, and yet he could be so charming when he chose to be. And sexy. She could not deny that the combination of tall dark and handsome was doing it for her. Even just looking at him she was beginning to feel a little hot under the collar. He had ditched the armour for something that looked like viking/modern fusion. A long green tunic-like shirt, black trousers and high boots.

Abruptly he stood up, pushing his chair in under the table

"Dance with me," he said simply, holding out his hand.

"I can't dance." She replied, automatically.

"Don't try to lie to the god of lies, Miss Scott," he said. "You spent your whole life being schooled in every social grace. Of course you can dance."

Whether it was because she felt starved of physical contact, or because she had drunk too much wine, or because at that moment with his hand outstretched Loki looked like the perfect gentleman, Anna didn't know, but she took Loki's hand, and did not resist as he pulled her firmly into him. In the background she could hear slow music begin playing; old style jazz.

He could feel her tense in his arms, unable to relax though her feet knew the steps and she ably followed his lead. _I'm dancing with a murderer_ she thought. _What am I doing?_

"Relax" he said "It's just a dance." His words soothed her, as he knew they would; after all,he was filling them with magic.

Gradually, as they swayed around the room, he felt her relax into his hold. The music washed over them. Anna could feel Loki's hand on the small of her back, burning into her, filling her whole body with warmth.

He held her closer, changed the steps into a sultry blues dance, she followed. He could almost feel her racing heartbeat as they danced close, cheek to cheek.

He breathed into her ear.

"You want me" She flushed scarlet at his words.

"I do not." she whispered back, her voice faint and uncertain. Their dance swayed to a stop.

"You burn for me" he whispered knowingly, and he kissed her neck.

She tried to wriggle away from him, but succeeded only in exposing more of her neck and shoulder.

"I do not," it sounded more like a plea than a statement.

"You do"

She gave a sigh as he wrapped his arms more firmly around her, and wound hers round his neck, reaching hands up into his hair, which was smooth as silk. Loki tailed kisses up Anna's neck then took her face in his hands, stroking his thumbs over her cheekbones. He leaned in closer and closer.

Abruptly a voice cut through the sultry atmosphere, shattering the atmosphere.

"Sir, there are several unscheduled incoming aircraft"

They broke apart, Anna stepped away from him quickly, looking ashamed of herself.

Loki cursed.

"What sort of aircraft?"

That moment the building was rocket by an explosion.

"It's S.H.E.I.L.D.!" exclaimed Anna, looking elated.

"Is it S.H.E.I.L.D.?" asked Loki, looking only slightly worried.

"No sir, the craft are decidedly Alien in appearance"

Loki's demeanour changed in an instant. His casual arrogance drained from his face to be replaced by a look of pure terror.

"The Chitauri!" he exclaimed. "They've found me!"


	11. Chapter 11

Loki whirled round and grabbed Anna by the hand.

"Help me!" he begged her.

Anna was alarmed, this Loki was a far cry from the masterful one of a few minutes before.

"What? How?" she asked

"If they find me, they'll kill me," he said shortly.

"And if they can kill you, how on earth am I supposed to protect you?" she said, incredulously.

Suddenly they were both thrown to the floor as an explosion shook the room.

"You know this planet" he said grabbing her arm and pulling her to her feet "Show me somewhere to go. Take me somewhere safe, please."

"A map," she said, thinking quickly. "I need a map."

Loki raced across the room and pulled an atlas down from a shelf.

He stood over her as she flicked frantically through the pages. More explosions rocked the building.

A fire had started and smoke billowed out from a ban of computers, making the two of them cough and splutter. There was a sudden blast and burning debris rained down on them, burning holes in their clothes.

"Hurry!" he urged her.

"I'm trying!" she snapped back.

They could hear the whining sound of aircraft now, drawing nearer.

"Here!" triumphantly Anna stabbed her finger down on the map. Loki took a quick look at the place she indicated.

"Right," he said, gripping her tightly. "Hold on. tight"

"What are you going to do?" she shouted but her words were suddenly lost as the room began to swirl around them and everything turned to blackness.

..

**Author's note**

**Dear all, so sorry for the delay in updating. Life had been catching up with me lately and I am rapidly running out of prewritten material, so am having to start creating rather than just editing. Also, sorry for the short chapter; longer one coming tomorrow.**


	12. Chapter 12

To Anna it felt like they had been sucked through a vacuum cleaner pipe. Everything was wind and noise and dust and compression. Then suddenly it all stopped. Her feet hit hard ground and she stumbled, only to be caught by Loki's strong arms. She leaned against him, trying to regain her sense of balance. She felt like retching, but controlled herself.

They were standing in front of high iron gates at the end of a long sweeping drive. It had worked. They were safe, for now. Loki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Right." Anna said, grabbing him by the collar, and surprisingly whipping a gun out of her pocket to press under his chin "You listen to me. I am taking you in. You will go along with whatever story I tell. You will not hurt anyone. You will behave."

"I will."

"Swear it." she looked deep into his eyes.

"I swear it." he looked sincere. It would have to do.

"Come on then." She pulled him off the road and through the first set of gates. as they moved out of sight of the road she stopped him.

"First, we need new clothes. Can you do something about that?"

"What do you mean?"

"We can't turn up looking like this," she said, gesturing to their singed clothes. "It will arouse suspicion."

"And?"

"You just transported us a couple of thousand miles, are you telling me you can't rustle up a simple costume change?"

He rolled his eyes at her, and gave her a look as if to say _this is completely beneath me._

"Fine, what sort of garments did you have in mind?"

"Something smart, suits."

"Close your eyes"

She did and felt the air around her warming. When she opened her eyes she saw that they were both dressed in black suits and white shirts.

"Not like that, we look like Mormons"

Loki looked puzzled.

"What are Mormons?"

"Oh never mind, but it's not a good look. Go for something a little bit more casual."

The second try was better. Now she was wearing a navy skirt and cardigan with a pale pink blouse, and he was immaculate in a charcoal grey suit, white shirt and green tie. Clearly he liked to err on the side of formal in matters of dress.

"Right, come on."

They continued down the long drive.

"Where are we?" asked Loki.

She waited so long before answering that Loki thought she hadn't heard him.

"It is my home." she said finally. Then, taking a deep breath, she began to speak quickly.

"We need a cover story for being here. I will tell the staff that you are a colleague. It is likely that they will assume you to be a love interest. Let them. People do not pay as much attention to things when they think they know them already. If anybody asks, you are from Sweden but spent most of your childhood here. Your father is Swedish and your mother English. You went to Harrow School and Queen's College Cambridge, where you studied Archaeology and Anthropology. I am an art historian at the British Museum, you work with me. We have been in the area to make an offer for the archaeology collection of a local businessman who dug up a Roman ruin in his garden. Any questions?"

"None" Loki didn't know whether to feel alarmed or impressed at the fluidity of her lies. _Clearly she is spy material after all, _he thought.

As they rounded a bend in the road, the house came into sight, built three stories high of golden-grey stone, glowing in the light of the setting sun.

In front of the house was a bridge over what seemed to be a moat.

"This is Allenhayes."

As they came up the final approach to the house the front doors opened and a woman dressed tidily in dark grey came out, a look of delight on her face.

"Miss Anastasia, you're here!'" she said in a broad West Country accent "And you never said that you were coming. George said he saw people coming up the drive and thought as how it might be tourists or something like that, but then as you came closer …" her voice tailed off as she seemed for the first time to realise that her mistress was not the only one who had arrived.

"Oh, Mrs Roberts, This is Mr Laufeyson, a colleague. Loki, this is Mrs Roberts, my housekeeper."

Loki shook hands politely.

"A pleasure," he murmured.

"A pleasure indeed, sir. Now if you'll both come into the house" she paused for a moment. "Miss, your bags?!"

"Oh we didn't bring any Mrs Roberts, you see we were down in the area unexpectedly, and I thought that I should seize the opportunity to see Allenhayes. I'm sure we will manage for a few days."

"Will you be dining tonight Miss?" asked the housekeeper as they walked up the front steps and into the entrance hall.

"Is there food in the house?" Anna replied.

"Miss Anastasia, what a thing to say, of course!"

"Then we will dine at seven."

"I'll go and tell Cook."

"Thankyou. Could you send Devere up to show Mr Laufeyson to the Callan Suite and help him dress. I'm sure there will be something in the collection to fit him."

Loki looked at her with a look that clearly said _I don't need anybody to help me dress and what the hell is the collection._

"Mother and Father used to invite people to dinner at very short notice, they kept a collection of formal clothes so that everyone could be dressed appropriately. I'm sure that something can be found to suit you."

"Dressed appropriately?"

"There is a long and excellent English tradition of dressing for dinner. You are my guest. you will follow it."

There was a steely tone to her voice that he had only heard traces of before. Here in her home she clearly felt that she was in control, secure enough to be the one giving the orders. _Well _he thought, _we shall see how in control she feels later._

"Who is Devere?" he asked.

"The butler," she replied.

_Of course _he thought, _they would have a butler._ Out loud he said

"I don't need anyone to help me dress."

"You promised to behave."

"Fine." he sighed.


	13. Chapter 13

Anna was sitting in front of her dressing table mirror, putting the finishing touches to her hair, when she heard a noise. She looked round. There was Loki, leaning casually again the doorframe, dressed in white tie and tails. He looked a combination of beautiful and dangerous. She felt her heart flutter, but spoke calmly.

"Loki, you suit our formal dress very well."

"Miss Scott'" he said, "You look beautiful."

She blushed. Loki observed the blood rise to her cheeks with interest. Asgardians did not blush.

"I'm not finished yet," she said, reaching for a jewellery box on the table. She opened it to reveal an ornate diamond necklace. "It was my mother's." she said by way of explanation.

"Allow me," he said, moving to stand behind her, taking the necklace from her and clasping it round her neck. He leant down to look with her at her refection in the mirror, she was wearing a dark red dress which showed off her pale skin. Her hair was pinned back from her face and curled at the back. She stood up and faced him, chin up, as if waiting for his judgement.

"You look like a queen," he said.

He surveyed her.

"You lack something" he said.

"Oh really," she said

Loki twirled her fingers and there appeared out of nowhere a dark red rose. He deftly tucked it into a coil of hair behind her ear.

"Now you are perfect," he pronounced.

"Oh I do hope not," she leant forward and breathed into his ear "It would leave no room for improvement."

The sound of a gong came from downstairs.

"That's dinner." she said, brushing past him and out of her door.


	14. Chapter 14

Dinner passed without any great event. Loki ate and drank and made polite conversation as Devere served them. Anna replied almost on autopilot, knowing that she had to keep up appearances so that everything would be reported to the rest of the Staff once dinner was over.

Once dinner was over Anna suggested they retire to the drawing room. She dismissed Devere, saying that they would not need him until the next morning. She knew he could not wait to get down to the kitchens to eat his own dinner and regale the others with all the news he had managed to glean of her and her 'young man.'

The drawing room was across the hall. As soon as the door had closed Loki wrapped his arms around Anna and kissed her passionately. She had almost forgotten what it was like to be kissed. His lips were soft on hers, coaxing her until she kissed him back. She pressed her body to his and he wrapped his arms round her, one hand on her back, the other in her hair. It felt like the room was spinning.

"I will not be put off any longer." he breathed. "I will have you."

He ran his hands down her body and over her buttocks, pulling her closer against him, grinding his hips against her.

Suddenly she stopped kissing him. She had a funny look in her eyes.

"Not here"

"What, have you never fucked in this house before?"

She flinched and looked away, immediately drawing her arms around herself like a shield. Loki was slightly taken aback. From what he knew so far of her, Anna was not the flinching type.

"Sorry" he said.

"What?" she looked at him as f he had gone mad.

"I said, sorry" Loki replied.

"You've never apologised to me before." she said, simply.

"And I don't plan on doing it often."

"Very well," she replied. "We should leave tomorrow morning. There is a hunting lodge up in Scotland. No one will find us there."

"Fine." he said.

Anna left the room.

Loki watched her go. That was not how he had imagined this evening would be ending. But he did not follow her. Too late he had recognised that look in Anna's eyes.

It was fear.

...

As she left the drawing room Anna was suddenly overcome with a wave of nausea. She sprinted to the bathroom and made it just in time, heaving into the sink. She tried to take deep breaths to steady herself, but she felt shivery and weak. She rinsed out her mouth and splashed some cold water on her face.

_Pull yourself together girl, _she thought. _This is hardly the time._

She looked at her reflection in the mirror. Her carefully arranged hair was coming down out of its pins, and her face was pale and clammy looking. She shook her head, trying to clear it, pushing away the thoughts which seethed just below the surface of her mind. This was not what she needed right now.

Tomorrow would be an early start, and they would have a very long way to go.


	15. Chapter 15

Early in the morning Anna was woken by Mrs Roberts entering her room and placing a cup of tea on her bedside table before going to open the curtains.

"There you are, Miss Anastasia. Just how you like it."

Late Autumn sunshine streamed in through the windows. Anna sat up in bed and pushed her messy hair out of her eyes.

"Thank you," she said, yawning. "I really need that."

"Devere is waking Mr Laufeyson," Mrs Roberts said. "What will you be wanting for breakfast?"

"Oh I'm afraid we won't be able to stay for breakfast," said Anna. A frown creased Mrs Roberts's kind face.

"Not staying for breakfast? Surely you don't have to leave so urgently that you can't stay for a bite to eat?"

Anna faltered.

"Oh well, I'm sure we could stay for a bite to eat. But could you pack us some food to take with us as well?"

Mrs Roberts beamed at her, and left the room.

Anna crossed her room to the wardrobe and took out a bag from the bottom. She ran her eyes over the shelves before removing clothes from each and stuffing them into the holdall. She was not sure how much she was going to need, but thought htat it was better to overestimate rather than underestimate. She added another warm sweater, and some extra shoes. It might be quite cold where they were going.

They ate breakfast quickly, and in silence. Afterwards they made their way out to Anna's car, which was parked in a garage round the side of the house. Loki, once again unusually gentleman-like, carried her bag, while Mrs Roberts followed them with a hamper of food. She put it on the back seat, strapping it in with its own seatbelt.

"Goodbye Mrs Roberts, a pleasure to meet you" murmured Loki, shaking hands.

She then embraced Anna, higging her tightly, and whispered in her ear

"Be safe."

Anna wondered whether her housekeeper might not in fact be a lot more perceptive than she had given her credit for.

...

They drove through quiet country lanes in the golden sunlight of the still-early morning. The leaves were golden and russet on the trees and the sky a high, clear blue above them. It was a beautiful day. Anna enjoyed driving, and in such circumstances as this she would normally have taken the top of the convertible down and let the wind blow through her hair. Today she did not.

Though this would normally be the prime opportunity to relax and let her hair down, she could not. Loki made her so uneasy, she never knew what he would do next. For instance, right now he was sitting quite quietly, looking out of the window and apparently observing the countryside. However, she felt that at any moment he might suddenly say something, or grab the wheel, or kiss her. _Or kiss her._ Anna thought back to his kiss of the night before, and then had to force herself to keep her eyes on the road and her hands on the steering wheel as a hot flush rose to her cheeks. Really, she did not know what was going on with her. Normally she was a paragon of self-control, but recently...

Loki sat beside her, only semi-oblivious to the turmoil going on in Anna's thoughts. He observed her body language and noted both her blush and the tightening of her hands on the wheel. He forced himself not to smile. _She's thinking about me_ he thought. _Good_. He had heard her the night before, throwing up in the bathroom. His hearing was much more acute than that of a mortal. He had wondered then whether it was him personally who had caused such fear in her. On consideration, he thought not.

Still, it was an interesting mystery that he was looking forward to unravelling. What, or who had she been thinking of when she ran from him, and why? He studies the view of fields and hedges, lit by golden sunlight. Really, England was very pretty. Of course it had none of the grandeur of Asgard, but it was attractive in its own way. When he was ruler he would spend a lot of time her, he thought. When he was ruler... Well, it didn't really seem like that was going to happen. he dreaded what would happen when Thanos caught him, which was probably only a matter of time.

"Are you cold?" asked Anna, concern in her voice.

Loki realised that he must have shivered whilst contemplating his date.

"No," he said. "Just thinking."

There was silence again. Really, he thought, the girl was most unlike other women he had met. she didn't seem to feel the need to chatter on like other females of Midgard and Asgard that he had met. For some reason he thought instinctively of Frigga, his mother, or, adopted mother. She too was calm and did not feel the need to fill a silence with mindless babble.

_What would she think of me now?_ he thought, closing his eyes. He needed to sleep. The night before he had stayed awake, making sure that there was no way the Chitauri could find where he had disappeared to. Now he felt exhausted, and the waves of tiredness began to wash over him, drawing him irresistibly down into their soft grey depths.

Anna looked over and saw that Loki was asleep. In sleep his face looked softer, more...human. She wondered what he had been thinking about, and hoped that in his dreams at least, he would be able to escape for a while.

...

Author's note

Dear all, sorry for the delay in posting, but I have been plagued by an essay that just wouldn't happen. Happily it is nearly done now. I hope you're still with me, and looking forward to all the posting that will be happening as soon as my term is over (end of next week). For those writers out there who have trouble getting the words down on the page sometimes, I wish to commend /#Web+App which makes you keep writing or it plays irritating noises/bad music at you. I am finding it very useful - I wrote 1,000 words in half an hour...

love, Lin


	16. Chapter 16

After five hours of driving she turned the car off the main road and into patch of woods so that she could get out and stretch her legs. Loki suddenly awoke and got out after her.

"Are we here?" he asked.

"No," she replied, explaining that she needed to stretch her legs.

He looked baffled. Apparently Asgardians did not feel cramped and need to stretch out. Then again, she thought, they probably didn't drive cars either.

"Can you drive?" she asked.

"No." Loki replied.

"How do you get around in Asgard?"

"Horses."

"Oh."

As they got back into the car Anna massaged her forehead. It was not good. She needed a nap.

"I have to go to sleep for an hour," she said. "Or I won't be safe to drive - I'm tired."

"Why?" he asked. _Damn him_, she thought. _Didn;t Asgardians need their sleep?_

"I didn't sleep well last night," she said.

"Alright then," Loki replied. "Go to sleep, I'll keep a look out."

"Wake me in an hour," she answered, and pulled a blanket of the back seat and arranged it over her. Within five minutes Loki could tell that she had fallen asleep.

Loki watched her sleeping, reclining on the seat, which was as far back as it would go. In her dreaming she looked younger, more vulnerable. He wondered what she had been afraid of the night before, obviously it was something traumatic enough that the memory had cased her to lose sleep over it. He wondered all the more about the 'something' in her past. There must be something, he thought.

For a long while he was lost in thought.

After an hour he reached over and touched her gently on the shoulder, stroking his hand down her arm. She woke slowly. She smiled at him.

"Thank you."

"for what?" he asked, slightly puzzled.

"Oh, never mind," she said, starting up the car again.

They kept driving northwards. The countryside became rougher; changing from neat fields of crop bordered by hedges to wide areas of sparse grass separated by stone walls. The sky grew greyer and darkened as the day wore on. Anna reminded Loki of the basket in the back seat and he reached around to grab it, then investigated the contents. He handed her food; sandwich by sandwich as they drove on. They crossed the border into Scotland as the sun set. The sky had cleared and was a mix of purple and gold.

Loki broke the silence

"The sky is like this on Asgard."

Anna contemplated this idea

"Always?"

"Except at night," Loki answered. "Then it is dark, with stars."

"I wonder if our stars are the same..." Anna wondered out loud.

There were a few moments of silence. Then Loki asked

"Where are we going?"

In some respects she was amazed that he hadn't answered before.

"To our hunting lodge, near Strathallen."

"Why?"

"It will be safe there." she replied.

...

When they finally arrived, it was properly dark, and the stars shone out of a clear velvet-black sky. Loki looked up at them.

"They are not the same."

"Really?" said Anna, moving next to him to stare up at the sky.

"Really," he replied, a slight trace of irony in his voice.

"Well, you'll have to learn then won't you," she said, and then pointed upwards. Loki bent to look along the line of her arm as she indicated.

"That's the Plough, do you have ploughs on Asgard? Americans call it the big dipper because it sort of looks like a ladle. And there is Orion, the hunter. And that's Cassopea, who is supposed to look like a woman, though I think it looks like a wiggly line more than anything..." her voice trailed off. Loki was standing very close, and she could feel the heat of his body.

"Anyway," she said. "We should be getting inside, could you get my bag from the car?"

Once inside the house she bustled from room to room putting lamps on and lighting fires. The floors of the house were wood and the walls either exposed stone or plastered in white. Horns of deer, or something like that were hung on the wall in the hall, clearly the trophies of hunters of old. Loki liked the place, it reminded him of Asgard. _Of home._

"This will be your room." she said, showing him to a room with a four poster bed. She bent to light the fire, first lighting paper, then kindling wood, and finally larger logs. Loki watched her, clearly she had done this many times before. _In Asgard this would have been a servant's job_, he thought.

She straightened up, pushing her hair out of her eyes.

"Right, I think you have everything you need."

She left the room quickly, and he watched her go, wondering again what was going on in her head. For the first time the thought Thor might be right - however wise one was, women were still a complete mystery.

..

Author's Note

Dear all, hope you're all excited, because there is certainly exciting stuff to come. As always, reviews are appreciated, but i certainly would be so cruel as to withhold the next chapter til I've got some (no really, that's not a threat, I'm just saying if your had the time...)

love to all, Lin


	17. Chapter 17

Loki sat on the bed in his room. He had removed his coat and jacket as the room grew warmer from the wood fire. He looked up as he heard a noise.

Anna sidled into his room, wearing only a shirt and underwear.

"Go on then," she said. "Have me."

He looked at her in sight surprise, though it was obvious what she meant.

"I won't say it again." she said, lifting her head to look directly at him.

He wasn't going to say no. He was attracted to her now more than ever, as he saw her long, slender legs and watched her bite her full lower lip. He rose from the bed and she moved towards him, and he took her face in his hands and this time she stretched up and kissed him.

This time there was something urgent in her kisses, a hunger that he had not sensed before. He raked his nails down her sides and she shuddered and gasped, and then kissed him back harder, biting his lips. He ran his hands through her hair as they pressed into one another.

Then there was the frantic removal of clothing. She unbuttoned his shirt and pressed her lips to his smooth, pale chest before sliding the cotton off his shoulders. Loki helped her lift her top over her head and it joined his shirt on the floor. He sat back on the bed and pulled her forward so that she was sitting on his knees in only her bra and knickers.

"You are beautiful," he said before kissing her again and reaching round behind her to unclasp the fastening of her bra. She shivered as he cupped one of her breasts in his hands.

"Your hands are cold."

"I'll soon warm up," he said with a smirk as he leaned back pulled her down on top of him.

Anna's hair fell around his face, tickling slightly. He ran his hands down her back then continued down to smooth them over the silk-covered curve of her buttocks. He cupped her buttocks and she rolled her hips, rocking against him and causing a groan to escape his lips. She smiled, seeing to be delighted by his response. She ran her hands over his broad chest before reaching down to undo his trousers. Loki caught her hands in his, and pressed his lips to them.

"Slow down," he said, looking into her eyes and smiling. "You don't need to hurry." He rolled her over so that she was pinned under him and still holding her hands in his he kissed her slowly and sensually, running his tongue across her bottom lip before entering her mouth. His leg was in between hers and he leaned in, grinding against her.

She arched up against him, her smooth skin against his for a moment. Her mouth hot on his. Loki smiled. She was obviously no blushing virgin, but there was something fresh about the way she was responding to him, as if she was remembering things long forgotten. He was so unused to this sort of response. Certainly he had bedded women on Asgard, but it had been a while, and anyway Anna was not like an Asgardian woman. Still, there was no harm in putting into practice what he had learned with them...

Loki kissed his way from Anna's mouth down her neck, then across her collarbone and down to her breasts, swirling his tongue around the nipples. He began to run his index finger up and down the smooth fabric of her underwear, teasing.

She started trying to move her hips up against his hand but he held her down, smiling a little to himself as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. He wasn't going to let her have her way with this, but was going to wring her pleasures out of her slowly, deliciously.

He slid her silk knickers down her legs and she kicked them off.

He moved down her body and his tongue flicked out and over the sensitive nub between her legs. Anna writhed at the pleasure as he continued and moaned out loud as he inserted a finger into her wet opening and made a movement like he was beckoning. Loki smiled again. He was quite sure that she was not generally noisy during sex, so was pleased that he could get such a response from her. He continued to swirl his tongue round her clitoris, and she continued to sigh and 'oh.'

Then he suddenly withdrew his fingers and tongue, Anna flopped as the sensations began to subside.

"Loki, please" she said.

"Please what?" he replied, looking up at her from between her legs.

"Please," she looked away from him in frustration and embarrassment. "Please take me."

"Take you where?" he asked, silkily.

"You know what I mean." she said.

"You'll have to spell it out for me." he said, enjoying the control he had over her. She tried to reach a hand down to continue what he had started, but he leaned up to trap her hands beside her head.

"Fuck me Loki, fuck me now."

"Ask nicely." he replied.

She almost growled in frustration, then took a deep breath.

"Please fuck me, please..."

"Thought you'd never ask," he said, smirking, quickly sitting up to take off his trousers and boxers. His erection was very obvious and Anna raised her eyebrows at him wickedly.

"I know." he said. "I'm really something."

Anna tried not to laugh, but it was impossible, she put her hand over her mouth but the giggles still came out.

"Stop it," he said. "This is supposed to be serious."

She bit her lip, trying to stop.

"Oh, you're going to regret that," he said softly.

Anna looked up at him, a pseudo-innocent look on her face.

"Am I?"

"Oh yes," he breathed.

He ran his hands along her thighs and gently spread her legs, then slid slowly into her. She was deliciously warm and tight. He began to move in and out, rolling his hips against hers and watching her face for her reaction. She shut her eyes, then opened them again and her mouth opened in a little "o." He thought about her soft ink lips and imagined what else she could do with them, clearly something to look forward to for another time...

Anna ran her hands up his arms and along his shoulders, tangling in his hair and bringing his face down to hers to kiss him.

"How am I doing?" he asked after a while, as she planted kisses along his jawline.

"Yes," she replied breathlessly, nonsensically. "Keep going."

Loki decided that this was a very good sign. He picked up the pace a little and reached down between them with one hand to rub against her clit. Anna squeezed her walls around his shaft and it was his turn to gasp. She was so tight and he knew he wouldn't last much longer, especially if she kept doing that.

Suddenly Anna arched up against him and then flopped back down on the bed.

Loki couldn't hold back any longer. He pounded into her a few more times as his release came, and then collapsed on top of her.

They lay together, panting and weak, like they had melted together. Loki's head was buried in Ana's shoulder and she stroked his smooth-as-silk hair and pressed her lips to the side of his head. It was a surprisingly tender moment. Loki raised his head and kissed her cheek, before rolling off her. They lay side by side, close but not touching, enjoying the warm afterglow and feeling of satiation.

After a few minutes Anna began to slide out of the bed, but Loki reached out a hand to stop her.

"Where are you going?" he said

Anna looked at him in surprise.

"I didn't have you down as the snuggling type," she said.

"Come back here." he said, more like a request than a command, and slipped under the bed covers.

Anna slid back onto the bed, and in to Loki's warm embrace. She lay with her head on his shoulder, his arm wrapped round her side.

"Tell me about it." he said, after a while.

"About what?" Anna asked.

"What it was that made you afraid. Why you disappeared. Why you joined S.H.E.I.L.D."

She looked at him with an expression that said _no way_.

"Go on," he urged. "Unburden yourself. Repressing these memories and feelings will not help you."

"Ive managed fine this far."

"Rubbish," he said. "You are nowhere near 'fine'"

Anna sighed.

"Why should I tell you?" she asked.

"I am the perfect confidante," he said. "I never tell my secrets, and even if I do, nobody believes the god of lies."

Anna considered for a moment, then took a deep breath and sighed.

"Fine,' she said. "Alright then."

...

Author's note.

Waaah, sexy times. But did you think it was sexy, that is the question, so...

Reviews? Maybe? Not that I'm needy or anything, and I'll be posting something new for you tomorrow whether I get any or not.

Lin


	18. Chapter 18

"He was perfect," she said.

"Like me?" Loki smiled, kissing her forehead. They were entwined, and snuggled under the blankets in Loki's bed.

"Nothing like you," she said.

"I am hurt." he said.

It was true though. Jonathan Carlisle was the complete opposite of Loki. He was blonde, tanned and carefree, with a brilliant reputation and all the breeding and social graces a girl could hope for.

"He was a year above me at school, but I don't think he ever noticed me. Then at university we were in the same college, and on the fencing team. We got to know each other, and then started going out together." she sighed, sadly "I felt dazzled when I was with him, as if I had stepped out of the shadows into the brilliance of his light. Suddenly I was someone, because I was with him. And, he was everything he should have been: considerate, romantic," she blushed slightly. "A great lover."

"Your first time?"

She raised her eyebrows at him.

"Almost."

He smiled, and pressed on.

"Where did it all go wrong?"

Anna sat up, pulling the covers up to wrap around herself.

"He graduated before me, we only saw each other at the weekends. He..."

Anna looked away, but Loki reached up a hand to cup her cheek and turn her face towards his.

"Let me look," he said. "Look into my eyes and you can show me."

He held her face in his hands, gazing intently into his eyes, and brought his own face closer and closer, until all she could see was his eyes.

_Remember, _he said, his voice inside her head.

She remembered.

She came back into her room late one friday night, having been out for a drink with friends. As she turned on the light she jumped. Jonathan was sitting on her bed, waiting for her.

"Where have you been?" he asked.

"Just out Jon, you should have called me." she said, smiling and going to kiss him. "I've missed you."

He ignored her kiss.

"Who were you with?" he questioned.

"Just some of my friends from my staircase."

She couldn't understand why he looked so angry.

"Who were you with?" he said, raising his voice.

"I told you Jonathan, I was with friends from my staircase."

"Liar!" he shouted, and slapped her across the face.

She felt the sting of the impact mixed with shock and horror. She staggered and tried to find her balance. He had slapped her. Tears pricked in her eyes as she raised one hand to the side of her face.

Immediately Jonathan too looked horrified. He put an arm round her and helped her to a chair, and knelt by her side.

"Anna, I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me."

He took her hand in his and gazed up into her eyes.

"Please forgive me darling."

Tears rolling down her face, Anna nodded.

"I just hate being apart from you." there were tears in his eyes too now.

"I know" she said, reaching to stroke his face.

"I'll make it up to you tomorrow." he said, getting up and pressing a kiss to her forehead before leaving her and closing the door behind him.

When he had gone Anna got up shakily from her chair, and went to the mirror above the basin in her room. The left side of her face was a livid pink colour, and she could see the marks of his fingers.

The memory faded away. Loki let go of her face.

"The next day he came round with flowers, took me out for dinner, and asked me to marry him. I said yes."

"Why?" Loki asked.

"I loved him." she said simply. "I thought that the engagement would make him calmer, so that he knew I loved him, but he became more controlling and paranoid. I stopped seeing most of my friends because he didn't like not knowing where I was. I stopped fencing. It sounds awful thinking back on it, but at the time I didn't think it mattered. I felt that all I needed was him, and that everything would be alright. I made excuses for his short temper and possessiveness."

"And then?"

"I'll show you." she said, looking into his eyes again.

Jonathan had come to Allenhayes to celebrate their engagement. After dinner Anna had said she was tired and wanted to go to bed. Jonathan, ever the gentleman, had offered to walk her to her room, she thought it was sweet.

They were at the top of the stairs when he took her in his arms and kissed her passionately. She responded, though she was tired, but when he grabbed her and started to run his hands over her breasts and bottom she said

"Jonathan, please not now, I really am tired."

"Come on Anna," he said. "Just a quick one."

"No Jon, I don't want to." she said firmly.

"What," he said, in a low and dangerous voice "You little tease! Don't think you'll be able to say no to me once we're married and you might as well get used to it now."

He grabbed her round the neck and pushed her back against the wall by the stairs. He squeezed her throat, slowly and deliberately. She tried to struggle but couldn't break free of his grasp. Anna was horrified and afraid. She had said no, but he was still going to have sex with her, even though he knew she didn't want it. He was much stronger than her and she wouldn't be able to stop him. Could she scream? She didn't think so.

"Touch me." he commanded, and when she didn't move fast enough for him he grabbed her hand and pressed it over the bulge in his trousers. "Touch me."

She felt sick but did what he told her, pressing up against him and reaching into his trousers to take his hard length into her hand. He sighed as she stroked and squeezed him.

"There we go, isn't this better?" he said, kissing her cheek and the side of her neck as she continued. "You never fail to please me, little slut."

Suddenly Anna felt something break inside her. For some reason this insult hurt more than any of the slaps or punches. In a flash she saw her life in front of her, with herself becoming more afraid and withdrawn, and him growing more and more domineering. She could not do it. They were at the top of the stairs. She pumped her hand up and down along his shaft and he groaned at the friction, throwing his head back and closing his eyes. His grip on her loosened.

Anna withdrew her hand from Jonathan's trousers and pushed him as hard as she could. She caught the look of surprise and fear in his eyes as he toppled over backwards, and then there was the horrendous crash as he hit the wooden stairs and tumbled over and over downwards. He lay at the bottom of the staircase in a crumpled heap, not moving. Her family came running out, roused by the commotion. They stared in horror at the scene. Anna standing stunned at the top of the stairs and Jonathan unmoving at the bottom.

The police had come quickly, _routine in the case of a sudden death, no need to worry Miss_, they had assured her, as she sat in the drawing room with a blanket round her shoulders and a glass of brandy in her hands that Mrs Roberts had given her _for the shock, sweetie_, and had tearfully explained how they had been kissing good night and he had suddenly fallen away from her. She said she didn't know what had happened, that perhaps he had tripped on the landing carpet, or maybe stumbled backwards down the steps and lost his balance. _I don't know_ she said again and again, _it all happened so quickly_.

The image faded again.

"And?"

"He died."

"And?"

"Noone ever knew that I had killed him."


	19. Chapter 19

Loki watched her memories unfold with interest. He was surprised that she had managed to hide all this information from S.H.I.E.L.D. as he imagined that they would have quite a rigorous psychological evaluation before accepting agents. _Then again_ he thought, _they let Tony Stark in._

Anna's face was screwed up as if she were in actual physical pain. Clearly the strain of keeping this secret for so long had taken its toll on her mental health.

Loki reached over to lay his arm around Anna's shoulders, and pulled her back down onto the bed. She lay in his arms shivering. Part of him was satisfied. Her proud self-reliance was gone. He had broken down her walls and here she was, ready to be moulded into something new. Then again, was that really what he wanted? _Of course it is,_ he told himself. _Otherwise what is the point in having her?_

But then again, he was beginning to think that a mindless obedient drone wouldn't be much fun at all. So that he wouldn't have to think about it anymore, he asked more questions.

"How did S.H.I.E.L.D. recruit you?" he asked.

"I ran into Agent Romanov in a hotel in London." Anna said, straining to keep her voice level.

"Really?"

"Yes, although to be more accurate, she ran into me. I was walking along a corridor when she came racing round the corner with three men chasing her. I'm not really sure." she said, looking slightly puzzled. "Then there was some fighting and I definitely remember breaking someone's nose, but apart from that it all seems like a bit of a blur. When we had finished, Natasha straightened up, dusted herself down and then handed me a business card. It said Senate House International Enhancement Directorate. She told me to call the number if I needed a job, and then just walked away down the corridor. I was stunned"

"so?"

"Well, I called the number..."

"You needed the job?"

"Not really," Anna admitted. "But when the thing that makes someone think you might be suitable for the job is the fact that you help them beat up a bunch of thugs in a five star hotel in the middle of London... Well, I just had to see what the job might involve."

"What happened when you rang the number?"

"There was a very long 'Press one if' menu, and eventually I got through to a person, and began to explain what had happened, and they said 'Ah yes, we've been expecting your call' and then gave me a time and place to meet."

"Then what?" Loki

"Then I went for an interview, and then testing, and then training"

"What did they test?"

"Fitness, reflexes, mental capacity, emotional stability. i passed them all with flying colours by the way," she said.

"How did you manage to conceal the things from your past?" Loki asked.

Anna turned to him with a blank face, then smirked wickedly.

"I'm a very good liar Loki, when I'm at my best, even you wouldn't be able to tell when I'm lying."

Loki chuckled

"I very much doubt that, Miss Scott."

"Why so formal?" she laughed at him. "If there is any time to drop formalities with someone, it is the point at which you are naked in bed with them."

"I don't know," said Loki, thoughtfully. "I rather like it."

"The formality, or the naked bed thing?"

"Both."

"What were you doing in Stuttgart?"

"I was on holiday," she said.

He gave her a disbelieving look.

"No, really. I was in Stuttgart on holiday, at the opera actually, just down the road from where you showed up. They sent an urgent message to me and I got to the building as quickly as I could."

"Oh."

"So just my bad luck really," Anna said, giving him a sly smile.

Loki was almost amazed. In less than five minutes she had changed from a shivering wreck to her previous confident self, or so it appeared.

Then she yawned and stretched out, looking into his face

"I'm exhausted." she said. "You really know how to tire a girl out."

It was as if a barrier had gone up between them.

Anna rolled away from him and closed her eyes.

"Goodnight," Loki said.

"Goodnight, Loki."


End file.
